Has America Become Too Politically Correct or Is It Growth?

It’s easy to forget just how many opportunities there are in this country if you’re willing to work for them. It would be incredibly short sided of anyone to say that sexism, racism, religious persecution and other forms of discrimination still don’t exist but I could also rationalize that we have let fanatics change the narrative of what should be the story.
I’m not offended by the Confederate Flag but I very much understand why it has to be removed. Though I would point out that it’s only being removed in the wake of a horrible domestic terrorism incident. That’s political correctness, or at least how it should be used. Taking a horrible moment in American History and using it to effect real change politically.

There are other forms of political correctness that I do believe are doing more harm than good. The first being our extreme takes on food. It’s crazy that we can get a burger and fries for 2.99 but a side salad cost 7 dollars. It’s unphantonable that we can buy chips two for a dollar when a granola bar cost 3 dollars. Saying all that I still think it’s crazy that certain groups are lobbying for no sodas, chips, candy or anything fattening on menus are in schools. Life has to be about moderation and sensibility; you can’t have those two traits when it comes to political correctness. It brings out the extremes in people.

Here’s another example. When a white cop kills a black kid people often bring up, “What about black on black crime?” Now forget their motives for a second, they have a point. We aren’t as outraged when a black man kills another black man and I often here the excuse, “Why bring it up now?” Are Americans not capable of having two or three conversations at the same time? It’s okay to be pissed off and angry about multiple things.

Political correctness isn’t ruining our country but what it’s doing is highlighting the hypocracy of our country.

I agree with you, except about the multiple conversations thing. Yes, we have multiple problems, but if you are trying to discuss ONE of them, and the other party can’t (or won’t) stick to the topic, neither of you can come to an agreement, let alone engineer solutions or create strategies. You can talk about more than one thing at a time, but the lack of focus it causes helps no one achieve meaningful understanding.

Too politically correct. To me, the flag is part of our history, not a racist statement. But today, if someone is offended – we must bend – we’re about to lose the very freedoms we fought so hard to keep.

I agree with your observation about us bending to those who are offended. I’ve been concerned also about how often and to what we are going to “bend” for now. Mainly concerned with how we are going to decide which cries to address and which to ignore. I think that our country is becoming sensitized to those who are/have a history of oppression. Because we are living in a shared space, I’m honestly okay with this. To you this flag is a part of our history, not a racist statement. But there is also a strong correlation between its history and racism so it makes the shared space uncomfortable or painful for others. Because I care more for those people living in the present with me than I do historical remnants of our past, I’m okay with sacrificing a few of my privileges in order for them to feel safe and comfortable in their home as well. My privileges are not necessary, but them meeting the lower level basic need of life is. Not everything about our history has to be on public display. The flag still holds meaning to you, whether or not its waving in the air or hanging on your bedroom wall. No one can take that away from you.

I’ve never even owned a Confederate flag and if racism is connected with it, then it only belongs in museums and history books – agreed. But everyone in the US has had a history of oppression, from the Huguenots of France, the Puritans – to the Irish, Cuban – name it – we all have that history – so just HOW do we prioritize?

I was just reading a blog post by someone else who brought attention about how we seem to label any conversation outside of the “selected one” as a distraction. You are so right in noting how we do this. I think its okay to initiate up multiple conversations as long as they aren’t used in defense of another. Yes, black on black crime is important to discuss also. But its a separate conversation from police brutality. Let’s add it to the list and tackle the individually.